Jaylen Wright leads the Dolphins in yards per carry. Why hasn’t he played more?
The run game has emerged a highlight of the Miami Dolphins offense.
Over the last three games, the Dolphins have rushed for at least 150 yards, one of the highest marks in the NFL. In the Week 5 game against the New England Patriots that started the streak, rookie Jaylen Wright led the team in rushing with 86 yards on 13 attempts. Wright, however, has seemingly disappeared over the subsequent weeks, a move that many fans consider quite puzzling considering he leads the team in yards per carry with 5.3.
“Jaylen’s been awesome,” Eric Studesville said. “The reality is, it’s a crowded room. It’s a good room. Finding ways to get carries for all those guys is a challenge. You want them all to get going because they all have the ability to affect the game in a positive way. Jaylen is a part of that. We want to give him more touches. It’s just about finding ways to do that.”
Wright recorded 25 snaps against the Patriots, a game in which De’Von Achane went down early with a concussion and Raheem Mostert was inactive as he continued to deal with a chest injury. The rookie then had six and three snaps, respectively, during the past few weeks, per Pro Football Focus, finishing with five carries for 33 yards against the Indianapolis Colts and two rushes for 19 yards against the Arizona Cardinals.
“I think in hindsight our plan in the game in particular with Jaylen was to have him get more opportunities,” coach Mike McDaniel said following the 28-27 loss to the Cardinals. “It was trending that way and then the offense had eight possessions. You’re trying to get backs into a groove. There are things I can do from a game planning standpoint.”
Added McDaniel: “The most important thing is that is that they continue to grow in their game because they are not in charge of the opportunities; they are in charge of making the most out of them. And the more you see guys like Jaylen Wright continue to make plays the more pressure there is for us to find a way to get them involved.”
Wright, however, isn’t necessarily worried about his touches. With the midway point of the NFL season nearly here, the rookie thought he has played “pretty solid” so far though there’s certainly room for “improvement.”
“I know I haven’t played my best football yet,” Wright said Thursday. Like most competitors, he probably wants more touches, however, the 2024 fourth-round pick just wants “to make the most of what I get. Be detailed as possible and be me out there.”
As Studesville said, the Dolphins running back room is rather crowded. There’s Mostert, the veteran whose 18 touchdowns in 2023 set a new, single-season franchise record. Then there’s De’Von Achane, who has shown flashes of bellcow potential thanks to an uptick in his pass-catching opportunities. And finally, there’s Jeff Wilson Jr., who has given the Dolphins offense a spark at various times.
“When you have a group of guys that are very talented in the backfield, just making sure certain packages are distributed,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said, later adding “there’s a blend of how do you get guys involved early, well it’s make sure we’re good on the preparation end so that way we can have a grouping where they get involved.”
Added Studesville: “Sometimes it is a personnel package that puts a certain player in or two players in at the same time. Sometimes it’s situational — maybe it’s red zone, maybe it’s third down. Certain guys play more in those situations. And sometimes if a guy’s going, let him go.”
If you’ve come this far, you probably want to know why Wright hasn’t gotten more opportunities considering the results. The truth is, it’s very unclear. A few things, however, make sense. One, they want the backs to establish a flow, which is why Achane usually starts the game. Two, they believe in running the ball in the redzone – something Smith indicated on Thursday – which leaves those situations for Mostert. Three, and probably most obvious, there’s only one ball.
Put differently, the Dolphins know what they have in Wright. It’s just difficult to get him the ball when everyone else already has their lane. Plus, Wright somewhat serves as a secret weapon, one in which the Dolphins can deploy when need be to keep defenses guessing.
“We trust those guys to go in and be productive,” Studesville said. “When and how we do it, that’s also a challenge for the defense to figure out.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 4:55 PM.
